Jack Nicklaus MacGregor 080W 3 Wood

[TheWind]

Hi everyone! I played golf with my buddy a couple days ago and he plays with a persimmon 3 wood. He let me hit it and I absolutely fell in love. I looked at ebay for the past few days and ended up purchasing a Jack Nicklaus MacGregor 080W 3 wood that has been refurbished. I probably should have done more research than I did, but I got it for $40. Is this club any good? If not, what would you recommend I look into adding to the bag? I was hitting his 3 wood persimmon as far as my 3 hybrid, so I'm thinking about replacing the hybrid with a 3w persimmon. Can anyone tell me anything about it? New to the persimmon game but I figure worst comes to worst I have a new piece of wall art. Thanks in advanced!

[dcopp7]

Not great, you definitely should've inquired here first.

[golfunderpar18]

Do you have pics of The one you bought? Which persimmon model does your buddy own?

[Fellaheen51]

With a bit of quick research, and a couple of pics found, surmising the Mac JN 080W is a store line club. Versus a pro shop one. Which typically will have "Tourney" affixed in some fashion to the labeling on the head. Keep in mind, the retailing of golf clubs was quite different than today. Pro Shops only sold the best of the brand, the secondary models were sold through retail stores. WTS, doesn't inherently make a store line club inferior. As always, comes down to how one hits them. Have you hit some balls with the 080? How does it compare to your bud's persimmon? Persimmons can be somewhat idiosyncratic depending on the operator.

You do understand the difference between a persimmon and laminated head don't you? Newcomers to the world of wood may not know the difference. I was one a few short years ago.

Find that persimmon, especially higher lofted fairways can play quite similar to hybrids. Case in point. Use a Powerbilt Citation 5 wood in a classic bag. Find the head size, loft and relative distance to be quite similar to a 23* 4H that I sometimes use. And can hit a Ping Eye 2 (laminated) 4 wood every bit as good as the modernist 4 wood. Perhaps even better considering the preferred trajectory I get from the E2.

Delving into persimmon doesn't need to be expensive either. Amazing what can be found with some scrounging around at thrift stores, estate and garage sales, FB marketplace, etc. Most think they're old and antiquated thereby not placing much value on them. The nice condition PB Citation players (1, 3, 5) were a thrift store find for $2 per. Other than fresh grips, done nothing to them. And they play very nicely. Just need to look around at various venus periodically, and no what you're looking at when you see it. If you venture further, I'm a fan of PB's. Plentiful, like the aesthetic (the brass back plate) and are typically a good value. Macs of course. Hogan Speed Slot or Apex are also good ones. Toney Penna's are solid. Most here in the Classic section have a favorite or four.

There's many in this sub-forum more knowledgeable than I that will be of help with further questions you may have. This section is a wealth of knowledge on such matters. Particularly if you are contemplating future acquisitions. Pictures are really important for condition, type and dating purposes. Performing due diligence research really helps with getting good value for the $. WTS, there's something about a well struck ball off the face of a wood head that's quite unique.

[raggal62]

Even though the 080 persimmon were storeline clubs, they were mostly solid heads. The shafts were the weak link. 40 years ago I played a 080 driver reshafted with an S300 that turned out great.

 

 

 

[Stephen8802]

Hit it, see what you think, and if you get the urge to pick up some others, we can help out. There is a list of top models that are consensus favorites, and there are many more that are great pieces of wood and a joy to hit. The best thing to do is read the back threads on this board and you will figure out pretty quickly both the classics that everyone seems to love and the other good stuff available to play.

A general rule for me is Macgregor pro line stuff (hollow soleplate numbers, not solid) made from about 1950 to early/mid 60s will be pretty good stuff. I prefer Macs with fiber inserts and lose interest when the keyholes showed up. But then again, I picked up a couple of keyhole MT1Ws at a Goodwill this year and refinished them. I hit them last week and they felt great. So, the range of what is good is pretty wide and a lot wider than many of us admit in public.

In addition to classic Macgregors, lots of us have, hit, and enjoy some later persimmon. I think my commemorative 1953 Hogans (made in 1978) are as good as anything I've ever played and lately I've been using Cleveland Classic RC 69 and RC 85 drivers from the mid 80s and have been having a ball with them. The Citations mentioned above are also a great choice and not too expensive. The advantage to the good stuff from the 80s is that you can likely hit them as is and not worry about refinishing them.

I'm not sure this is the best time of year to buy persimmon though, the pickings seem to be a bit slim on ebay these days an the prices seem to be high. You should spend some time playing with the club you have and reading up on the sets people here seem to like. Then, by the time you are ready to buy something better in the fall, the market might be better.

[Guia]

If you like it, and it performs what you want/expect, PLAY IT.

[Terreb]

All persimmons are not created equal, and there are no two golfers who are alike. What works for one won't work for another. I would take it out and play a few rounds with it. If you hit it well, and you like it, then play it. If you don't then find another one to try. I wouldn't get hung up on what clubs were the best, but work at finding one that works best for you. IMHO

[TheWind]

My buddy has an old Hogan 3 wood. Here are some pics. The one I got is definitely restored, and it looks good, so honestly that's why I went for it. New into this game so I don't know much yet to be honest. I know that some of the cheaper/in worse shape ones can be hidden gems, this was kind of just an impulse buy. Just went for it since the price didn't seem awful and it looks so good; like I said if I don't hit it well it'll become an office piece.

I honestly don't know the difference between persimmon and laminate. I'm sure I can read up about it but you're good at explaining stuff so if you're willing I'd love a definition.

[Fellaheen51]

That's a very clean looking head and will make for an excellent introduction to persimmon. Most definitely worthy of being played. A 3 wood is a good club to start with, the loft will be helpful while becoming accustomed to swatting wood from tee or turf. Getting the ball up and away. Swinging persimmon is a bit different than metals.

The sure tell for persimmon vs. laminate is to examine the face. Persimmon will look like your club, a solid block without any lines. A laminate will have lines in the face, similar to the lines on the edge of plywood. You can see the lamination lines in the top and center heads in this pic. The lower one appears to be persimmon. Of note, some heads have very fine lamination lines to the face. So one has to look closely. But the majority of the time they will look like these:

If the heads are stained, you'll see circular rings in the crown. Like the above. Obviously if they're painted, you'll not be able to note this. Faces are the surest tell. When looking for wood woods, don't pay persimmon prices for a laminate. They get mislabeled all the time, so need to be cognizant of the difference. (Not that there is anything inherently wrong with playing a laminate.) Once you recognize this, it becomes readily apparent when looking at a club.

 

[Stephen8802]

Seeing the picture of your three wood reminded me of something, so I looked in one of my club bins and I have the driver to that set. I bought a DX 4 wood because I needed a shaft for an M75 and the 080W driver was taped to it, so I bought the bundle. If you hit the 3 wood and like it, and want the driver, let me know and I'll give it to you for the shipping cost.

I think the driver has a nice head and should be a great way to get into persimmon. I'm warning you though, once you start buying clubs it can be hard to stop. I have so many clubs that I had this driver and didn't even know when I first read your post.

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

I see the difference between laminated woods and persimmon has been well covered already by Fellaheen, so I'll just chime in to say that that's a nice looking 3w. I would be more happy to play that.

Good pick up, and welcome to the fun of persimmon golf

[TheWind]

Thanks for the responses everyone I really appreciate it! I took it to the range for the first time yesterday and it was definitely different to hit, but it felt incredible to swing and even felt good coming into contact with range balls. Thanks everyone!

After a couple of rounds with the 3 wood, I'll potentially reach out to take you up on that offer. Thanks so much!

[Richard 77]

Look at these I found yesterday at goodwill. .$2.99 each. Stiff, good grips, Tommy Armour. It may take a few trips to the goodwill store but before long you’ll find more than you’ll ever need.